Face to Face

Don't Turn Away (1992)

coldjuly

In the early nineties, when punk was still in the beginning of a major crossover process; many bands took a new, much faster melodic sense then their 80's contemporaries (a few bands excluded). While Face to Face certainly wasn't the first to do so, they were considered a band who could do it well.

Don't Turn Away is like a revelation to me - my dead sea scrolls if you will - I was introduced to this album in mid '93 and I was speechless to say the least. I let the record speak for me however, as it stayed in my stereo for months, and is still a regular in my "played constantly" list.

Most songs are mid-tempo, very emotional melodic SoCal punk as we've come to know so well. Not too fast, but fast enough to let their fury show. They showcase some great musicianship to just be a three piece band at the time. The harmonies, and melody really shine through, probably better than any record they've done to date.

The album begins with "You've done nothing" a pretty hard, straight forward punk song that tends to pull the listener in and proceed to kick some musical ass. other greats include The well known "Disconnected"…which no other version the band does can ever top this one. "No authority" the lyrics ring so true from that song and, is one of the few on the album that showcases some anger. "Everything is Everything", "Nothing New", "Walk Away", and "1000x" Stand out as well.

Its really a testament to where great melodic punk got its start..where more and more bands caught on..to the virtual plethora of bands who incorporate the same style today some 10 odd years later. This is one of the few albums I consider a "classic" some may disagree, I have my own personal reasons..Its an uplifting set of songs that hit you in a way that other F2F albums don't. If you want to change your perspective on this band check this out…simply genius.